Benthic Substrate Classification Map: Gulf Islands National Seashore
Lavoie D, Flocks J, Twitchell D, Rose K. 2012. Benthic Substrate Classification Map: Gulf Islands National Seashore. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Open-File Report. USGS Open-File Report 2012–1051
A bottom-substrate map was developed for the National Park Service (NPS) and the Mississippi Coastal Improvement Program (MsCIP) using acoustic data, associated bathymetry, and other ancillary data within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Mississippi portion of Gulf Island National Seashore (GUIS). A suite of bottom and sub-bottom data within the GUIS boundaries was collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as part of the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) Ecosystem Change and Hazard Susceptibility project during the summers of 2008 and 2009. Benthic substrate types were surveyed for approximately 1,191 kilometers (km) of seafloor within the GUIS boundary surrounding East and West Ship, Horn, and Petit Bois Islands using side-scanning interferometric-swath bathymetry sonar. Substrate data were collected concomitantly during a survey conducting sub-bottom profiling. Because sub-bottom profiling requires a less intense sonar coverage than benthic habitat assessments, data collected for this study provide an initial assessment of habitats rather than a high-resolution map detailing benthic habitats. Sediment samples and bottom photographs were collected in March 2010 to ground truth the previously collected data.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Lavoie, Dawn; Flocks, James; Twitchell, Dave; Rose, Kate
- Date of Issue
- 2012
- Units
- GUIS
- Keywords
- Benthic habitat, benthic substrate, GUIS, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Seafloor Mapping, submerged habitat